Burn Permit Suspension Begins In Napa County

NAPA COUNTY - As summer begins and the drought in California continues, burn permits for the Napa Valley and surrounding areas will suspended starting Monday, Cal Fire officials have announced.

Permits for outdoor burning have been suspended in Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Napa counties.

Additionally, Colusa, Lake, Mendocino and Yolo counties, as well as parts of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, are included in the suspension, according to Cal Fire officials.

The suspension starts Monday at 12:01 a.m. and bans all outdoor burning.

Exceptions, however, include campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property with the owner's permission.

Since the beginning of the year, Cal Fire firefighters have responded to about 2,100 wildfires throughout the state, which have burned a total of 23,000 acres, Cal Fire officials said.

Editor's Note: The latest California wildfire officials have their eye on is the Erskine fire, burning off Erskine Creek Rd. in Lake Isabella. The Kern County fire had burned nearly 37,000 acres as of 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, and was only 10 percent contained.

#ErskineFire [update] Lake Isabella (Kern County) remains 36,810 acres & 10% contained. https://t.co/BpkB2N0Yr3 pic.twitter.com/DsZ6coUZOu
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) June 26, 2016

The fire was first reported Thursday about 4 p.m. At least 150 homes have been destroyed and an additional 75 damaged, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters are currently estimating containment of the fire by midnight Wednesday.

In addition to the suspension of the burn permits, Cal Fire officials are advising residents to prepare for wildfires in their area, according to Cal Fire officials.

"As conditions across California are drying out further, we must take every step to prevent new wildfires from sparking," Cal Fire director Chief Ken Pimlott said.

"Residents must ensure they have defensible space by removing dead trees and overgrown vegetation from around their homes, but do so safely."

-Bay City News;embed, image of Erskine fire via Cal Fire